Fruits, grains diet boosts male fertility

Men who eat plenty of fruits and grains but cut down on their red meat and alcohol intake have higher chances of a successful in-vitro fertilisation, a new study has suggested.

health-and-fitnessUpdated: Nov 23, 2011 18:15 IST

ANI

Men who eat plenty of fruits and grains but cut down on their red meat and alcohol intake have higher chances of a successful in-vitro fertilisation, a new study has suggested.

The study revealed that a poor diet and obesity can lower sperm concentration and affect their ability to swim towards an egg.

In the past, female fertility problems have been linked to obesity as well as smoking and drinking, but it was not clear until now if the same applies to men as well.

The latest study of men with partners, who were undergoing a type of fertility treatment, has revealed that those who regularly binged on alcohol and ate poorly were slowed down on the fertility front, the Daily Mail reported.

"The sperm concentration was negatively influenced by body mass index (BMI) and alcohol consumption, and was positively influenced by cereal consumption and the number of meals per day," lead researcher Edson Borges, from the Fertility-Assisted Fertilization Center in Sao Paolo said.

The Brazilian study involved 250 men with partners who were undergoing a type of fertility treatment called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Each participant was asked how often they ate a range of foods, including fruits and vegetables, beans, grains, meat and fish, as well as how much they drank and smoked.

Semen samples were then examined to assess sperm health and concentration and each couple were monitored during the IVF process.

The study revealed that eggs were successfully fertilised in about three-quarters of the treatments, but just fewer than forty per cent of women got pregnant.

From the speed of their sperm to their partner’s chance of pregnancy, men who drank and had a poor diet were less fertile.

The results have been published in the Fertility and Sterility journal.